Pattaya Vegetarian Festival 2010 Commences at Larn Poh

Attended by hundreds of predominantly Thai-Chinese residents and visiting tourists, the Pattaya Vegetarian Festival commenced on Thursday, with the traditional free meals, religious ceremonies and vibrant entertainment that are commonplace at such events.

Pattaya, the 7th of October 2010 [Pattaya Daily News]: Commencing with the ceremonial worshipping of holy images of the monk ‘Kew Aoung Hook Joh,’ invited into the grounds at Larn Pho, Naklua, to oversee the 10-day festival.

All vegetarians attending the event were adorned in traditional white robes, signifying purity and abstinence from consuming meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products at least during the festival. In addition, this year’s event in Pattaya was held to help expedite the recovery of Thailand’s revered King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, and celebrate his long life.

Following the opening ceremony chefs went about preparing a veritable vegetarian feast for the masses. Varieties of dishes, strictly adhering to the principles of vegetarianism, were prepared using shovel-sized utensils on a 4-meter diameter “wok”. The food will be on offer from the Larn Poh grounds throughout the course of the festival at no cost, while organisers encourage interested parties to come along an experience the unique event.

Although celebrated nationwide during the same period, Thailand’s tourism hotspots of Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai observe the festival more predominantly than most regions. While Phuket’s and to a certain extent Pattaya’s festivals tend to stray from the more traditional concepts of the event, largely for the benefit of tourism, northern Thai celebrations give attendees a much greater look at what is truly a one-of-a-kind ancient Chinese tradition.

Numerous events, performances, entertainment and street parades will be held across Pattaya and Naklua over the course of the 10-day festival, anyone wishing to attend the events is urged to visit the Larn Pho Yard in Naklua.

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